R-3 Repository :: Browsing by Author "Hotez, Peter J."

Browsing by Author "Hotez, Peter J."

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A New European Neglected Diseases Center for Greece?
(2013) Hotez, Peter J.; Papageorgiou, T. Dorina; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
A Recombinant Protein XBB.1.5 RBD/Alum/CpG Vaccine Elicits High Neutralizing Antibody Titers against Omicron Subvariants of SARS-CoV-2
(2023) Thimmiraju, Syamala Rani; Adhikari, Rakesh; Villar, Maria Jose; Lee, Jungsoon; Liu, Zhuyun; Kundu, Rakhi; Chen, Yi-Lin; Sharma, Suman; Ghei, Karm; Keegan, Brian; Versteeg, Leroy; Gillespie, Portia M.; Ciciriello, Allan; Islam, Nelufa Y.; Poveda, Cristina; Uzcategui, Nestor; Chen, Wen-Hsiang; Kimata, Jason T.; Zhan, Bin; Strych, Ulrich; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Hotez, Peter J.; Pollet, Jeroen
(1) Background: We previously reported the development of a recombinant protein SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, consisting of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, adjuvanted with aluminum hydroxide (alum) and CpG oligonucleotides. In mice and non-human primates, our wild-type (WT) RBD vaccine induced high neutralizing antibody titers against the WT isolate of the virus, and, with partners in India and Indonesia, it was later developed into two closely resembling human vaccines, Corbevax and Indovac. Here, we describe the development and characterization of a next-generation vaccine adapted to the recently emerging XBB variants of SARS-CoV-2. (2) Methods: We conducted preclinical studies in mice using a novel yeast-produced SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 RBD subunit vaccine candidate formulated with alum and CpG. We examined the neutralization profile of sera obtained from mice vaccinated twice intramuscularly at a 21-day interval with the XBB.1.5-based RBD vaccine, against WT, Beta, Delta, BA.4, BQ.1.1, BA.2.75.2, XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5, and EG.5.1 SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses. (3) Results: The XBB.1.5 RBD/CpG/alum vaccine elicited a robust antibody response in mice. Furthermore, the serum from vaccinated mice demonstrated potent neutralization against the XBB.1.5 pseudovirus as well as several other Omicron pseudoviruses. However, regardless of the high antibody cross-reactivity with ELISA, the anti-XBB.1.5 RBD antigen serum showed low neutralizing titers against the WT and Delta virus variants. (4) Conclusions: Whereas we observed modest cross-neutralization against Omicron subvariants with the sera from mice vaccinated with the WT RBD/CpG/Alum vaccine or with the BA.4/5-based vaccine, the sera raised against the XBB.1.5 RBD showed robust cross-neutralization. These findings underscore the imminent opportunity for an updated vaccine formulation utilizing the XBB.1.5 RBD antigen.
A review of visceral leishmaniasis during the conflict in South Sudan and the consequences for East African countries
(2016) Al-Salem, Waleed; Herricks, Jennifer R.; Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused predominantly by Leishmania donovani and transmitted by both Phlebotomus orientalis and Phlebotomus martini, is highly endemic in East Africa where approximately 30 thousands VL cases are reported annually. The largest numbers of cases are found in Sudan - where Phlebotomus orientalis proliferate in Acacia forests especially on Sudan’s eastern border with Ethiopia, followed by South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. Long-standing civil war and unrest is a dominant determinant of VL in East African countries. Here we attempt to identify the correlation between VL epidemics and civil unrest. Objective and methodology: In this review, literature published between 1955 and 2016 have been gathered from MSF, UNICEF, OCHA, UNHCR, PubMed and Google Scholar to analyse the correlation between conflict and human suffering from VL, which is especially apparent in South Sudan. Findings: Waves of forced migration as a consequence of civil wars between 1983 and 2005 have resulted in massive and lethal epidemics in southern Sudan. Following a comprehensive peace agreement, but especially with increased allocation of resources for disease treatment and prevention in 2011, cases of VL declined reaching the lowest levels after South Sudan declared independence. However, in the latest epidemic that began in 2014 after the onset of a civil war in South Sudan, more than 1.5 million displaced refugees have migrated internally to states highly endemic for VL, while 800,000 have fled to neighboring countries. Conclusion: We find a strong relationship between civil unrest and VL epidemics which tend to occur among immunologically naïve migrants entering VL-endemic areas and when Leishmania-infected individuals migrate to new areas and establish additional foci of disease. Further complicating factors in East Africa’s VL epidemics include severe lack of access to diagnosis and treatment, HIV/AIDS co-infection, food insecurity and malnutrition. Moreover, cases of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) can serve as important reservoirs of anthroponotic Leishmania parasites.
A review of visceral leishmaniasis during the conflict in South Sudan and the consequences for East African countries
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2016) Al-Salem, Waleed; Herricks, Jennifer R.; Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Abstract Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused predominantly by Leishmania donovani and transmitted by both Phlebotomus orientalis and Phlebotomus martini, is highly endemic in East Africa where approximately 30 thousands VL cases are reported annually. The largest numbers of cases are found in Sudan - where Phlebotomus orientalis proliferate in Acacia forests especially on Sudan’s eastern border with Ethiopia, followed by South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. Long-standing civil war and unrest is a dominant determinant of VL in East African countries. Here we attempt to identify the correlation between VL epidemics and civil unrest. Objective and methodology In this review, literature published between 1955 and 2016 have been gathered from MSF, UNICEF, OCHA, UNHCR, PubMed and Google Scholar to analyse the correlation between conflict and human suffering from VL, which is especially apparent in South Sudan. Findings Waves of forced migration as a consequence of civil wars between 1983 and 2005 have resulted in massive and lethal epidemics in southern Sudan. Following a comprehensive peace agreement, but especially with increased allocation of resources for disease treatment and prevention in 2011, cases of VL declined reaching the lowest levels after South Sudan declared independence. However, in the latest epidemic that began in 2014 after the onset of a civil war in South Sudan, more than 1.5 million displaced refugees have migrated internally to states highly endemic for VL, while 800,000 have fled to neighboring countries. Conclusion We find a strong relationship between civil unrest and VL epidemics which tend to occur among immunologically naïve migrants entering VL-endemic areas and when Leishmania-infected individuals migrate to new areas and establish additional foci of disease. Further complicating factors in East Africa’s VL epidemics include severe lack of access to diagnosis and treatment, HIV/AIDS co-infection, food insecurity and malnutrition. Moreover, cases of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) can serve as important reservoirs of anthroponotic Leishmania parasites.
A trivalent protein-based pan-Betacoronavirus vaccine elicits cross-neutralizing antibodies against a panel of coronavirus pseudoviruses
(Springer Nature, 2024) Thimmiraju, Syamala Rani; Adhikari, Rakesh; Redd, JeAnna R.; Villar, Maria Jose; Lee, Jungsoon; Liu, Zhuyun; Chen, Yi-Lin; Sharma, Suman; Kaur, Amandeep; Uzcategui, Nestor L.; Ronca, Shannon E.; Chen, Wen-Hsiang; Kimata, Jason T.; Zhan, Bin; Strych, Ulrich; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Hotez, Peter J.; Pollet, Jeroen
The development of broad-spectrum coronavirus vaccines is essential to prepare for future respiratory virus pandemics. We demonstrated broad neutralization by a trivalent subunit vaccine, formulating the receptor-binding domains of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 with Alum and CpG55.2. Vaccinated mice produced cross-neutralizing antibodies against all three human Betacoronaviruses and others currently exclusive to bats, indicating the epitope preservation of the individual antigens during co-formulation and the potential for epitope broadening.
Aboriginal Populations and Their Neglected Tropical Diseases
(2014) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Anti-science kills: From Soviet embrace of pseudoscience to accelerated attacks on US biomedicine
(2021) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
The United States witnessed an unprecedented politicization of biomedical science starting in 2015 that has exploded into a complex, multimodal anti-science empire operating through mass media, political elections, legislation, and even health systems. Anti-science activities now pervade the daily lives of many Americans, and threaten to infect other parts of the world. We can attribute the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans from COVID-19, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases to anti-science. The acceleration of anti-science activities demands not only new responses and approaches but also international coordination. Vaccines and other biomedical advances will not be sufficient to halt COVID-19 or future potentially catastrophic illnesses, unless we simultaneously counter anti-science aggression.
Are neglected tropical diseases a concern for developed, wealthy nations?
(James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy;Baylor College of Medicine, 2013) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Blue Marble Health: A New Presidential Roadmap for Global Poverty-Related Diseases
(James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, 2014) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
A new analysis reveals substantial global health gains for AIDS, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases that were first targeted by the administration of President George W. Bush (“Bush 43”) in 2003 and then greatly expanded by the Obama administration. Beginning in 2017, an incoming administration will have opportunities to build on this legacy to control and eliminate poverty-related diseases—including those with pandemic potential—and to assert American leadership while being mindful of fiscal constraints.
COVID-19 in the Americas and the erosion of human rights for the poor
(Public Library of Science, 2020) Hotez, Peter J.; Huete-Perez, Jorge A.; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Creation of a Global Vaccine Risk Index
(Public Library of Science, 2022) Nuzhath, Tasmiah; Hotez, Peter J.; Damania, Ashish; Liu, P. Shuling; Colwell, Brian; James A Baker III Institute of Public Policy
The World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy as one of its top ten global health threats for 2019. Efforts are underway to define the factors responsible for reductions in vaccine confidence. However, as global measles cases accelerated beginning in 2018, it became evident that additional factors were promoting measles re-emergence, including war, political and socio-economic collapse, shifting poverty, and vulnerability to weather events and climate change. Accordingly, we propose a Global Vaccine Risk Index (VRI) to consider these variables as a more comprehensive means to identify vulnerable nations where we might expect measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases to emerge or re-emerge. In Sub-Saharan African and Middle Eastern nations, conflict and political instability predominated as the basis for high vaccine risk scores, whereas in Southeast Asian countries, the major reasons included climate variability, current levels of measles vaccination coverage, and economic and educational disparities. In Europe, low vaccine confidence and refugee movements predominated, while in the Americas, economic disparities and vaccine confidence were important. The VRI may serve as a useful indicator and predictor for international agencies committed to childhood immunizations and might find relevance for accelerating future COVID19 vaccination programs.
Engaging a Rising China through Neglected Tropical Diseases
(Public Library of Science, 2012) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Extending the global worm index and its links to human development and child education
(Public Library of Science, 2018) Kang, Su Jin; Damania, Ashish; Majid, M. Farhan; Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Global Christianity and the Control of Its Neglected Tropical Diseases
(Public Library of Science, 2014) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Global Vaccinations: New Urgency to Surmount a Triple Threat of Illness, Antiscience, and Anti-Semitism
(2023) Hotez, Peter J.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Because of rising antivaccine activism and some key global policy missteps, we risk eroding more than 70 years of global health gains. This is occurring through an enabled and empowered antiscience ecosystem, with anti-Semitism and the targeting of Jewish biomedical scientists at its core.
Helminth Elimination in the Pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals: A "Worm Index" for Human Development
(2015) Hotez, Peter J.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Historical Perspectives on the Epidemiology of Human Chagas Disease in Texas and Recommendations for Enhanced Understanding of Clinical Chagas Disease in the Southern United States
(2015) Garcia, Melissa N.; Woc-Colburn, Laila; Aguilar, David; Hotez, Peter J.; Murray, Kristy O.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi infection) has recently been identified as an important neglected tropical disease in the United States. Anecdotally referred to as a “silent killer,” it leads to the development of potentially fatal cardiac disease in approximately 30% of those infected. In an attempt to better understand the potential of Chagas disease as a significant underlying cause of morbidity in Texas, we performed a historical literature review to assess disease burden. Human reports of triatomine bites and disease exposure were found to be prevalent in Texas. Despite current beliefs that Chagas disease is a recently emerging disease, we report historical references dating as far back as 1935. Both imported cases and autochthonous transmission contribute to the historical disease burden in Texas. We end by discussing the current knowledge gaps, and recommend priorities for advancing further epidemiologic studies and their policy implications.
Human Schistosomiasis Vaccines as Next Generation Control Tools
(MDPI, 2023) Hotez, Peter J.; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Human schistosomiasis remains one of the most important yet neglected tropical diseases, with the latest estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study indicating that over 140 million people are infected with schistosomes [...]
The Hygiene Hypothesis and Its Inconvenient Truths about Helminth Infections
(Public Library of Science, 2016) Briggs, Neima; Weatherhead, Jill; Sastry, K. Jagannadha; Hotez, Peter J.
Current iterations of the hygiene hypothesis suggest an adaptive role for helminth parasites in shaping the proper maturation of the immune system. However, aspects of this hypothesis are based on assumptions that may not fully account for realities about human helminth infections. Such realities include evidence of causal associations between helminth infections and asthma or inflammatory bowel disease as well as the fact that helminth infections remain widespread in the United States, especially among populations at greatest risk for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Impact of the Neglected Tropical Diseases on Human Development in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Nations
(Public Library of Science, 2015) Hotez, Peter J.; Herricks, Jennifer R.; James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy

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